Keeper Of My Heart
by ForbiddenTouch
Summary: It's Valentines Day. And Damon has a gift for Elena. One that will suddenly make Elena realise that all this time, she'd failed to see what was in front of her. Is there anything to hold her back from declaring her love? Short Delena fanfic
1. Keeper Of My Heart

**1. Keeper of My Heart**

_Dear Diary,_

_It's that day again. Three-hundred and sixty-five days later, it returns without fail. And it's today. It's Valentines Day. __Valentine, what does that even mean? What does today resemble? What's the significance of today that has girls all over the world totally and immensely stricken by love? __Even though it didn't really signify much to me before, it does today. Because this time last year, I wasn't spending it alone all cooped up in my bedroom, listening to Birdie on repeat, afraid to go outside incase I'd bump into him. No, this time last year I was helplessly in love and… happy even. __But everything's changed since then. I've changed. I've grown stronger – according to him. But I feel weak inside. As if any moment now my heart will stop beating, stop fighting to live and just give up. Why? Because I feel as though something's missing, as if…_

Elena immediately shut her book as Damon lightly knocked on the door and smiled.

"Morning" he said, grinning cheerfully at her.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up in her bed and pushing her book under her covers as Damon wandered round her room to her bedside. He perched lightly on her double bed, toying with a red ribboned box in his hand.

He shrugged, a smile playing on his lips as his bright eyes took in her somewhat what sad expression. "I got you a present" he said. Elena seemed slightly confused.

"Here, open it" he said, placing it on her knees.

"What's it for?" she asked, even though she knew the answer, she still was surprised.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Oh c'mon Elena. Surely you know what day it is".

Elena just stared back at him, slightly uneasy. But he just smiled politely, his eyes hinting at the box.

"Open it" he insisted.

Elena hesitated at the small square box wrapped up in red and an exquisite ribbon with a small heart shaped tag engraved with her name that sat on her knees.

After a moment she pulled the ribbon off and began to tear into the soft, velvety paper. She shot Damon a disapproving glance but he only laughed.

Inside was a leather red box. Gently, she opened the lid only to reveal a sharp glint of light. Elena scrutinised where the light came from until she saw a red, oval-shaped crystal dangling from a silver bracelet, each facet trapping and reflecting the light escaping through her window. Alongside the crystal was another, but a darker ruby red. But in it was a small silver figurine; Elena couldn't quite make out what it was.

"It's a key" he answered, "let's just say, you have the key to my heart. Literally". The corner of his lips twitched up to reveal his smile. Elena knew he wasn't joking. He wasn't joking about anything these days. Especially when he declared his love for her time and time again.

The last charm was a sphere embezzled in tiny little red and white stones. It was beautiful, Elena couldn't deny that fact.

"Damon, I can't take this. Why are you giving me this?" she asked, placing the antique back into the box.

"Well because, firstly it's Valentine's day" his eyes sparkled as Elena glanced at him "and secondly, it's not like my brother would give you anything, he's too busy running after blood and Klaus to actually go out and do anything and lastly. Because I thought you'd like it" he said truthfully.

He could read Elena's expression and knew that she wouldn't take it.

"Don't you like it?" he asked, his tone turning serious in the hope that she's take it, but even if she didn't, he'd make sure she kept it before he left. Damon was determined.

"No, it's beautiful Damon but…" Elena looked at the bracelet again, admiring the beauty.

"Then its perfect" he said, complimenting just how perfect the present was; beautiful enough for the most beautiful girl in his life.

"Damon-" she began but he cut her off.

"The red crystal was my mothers; her grandmother passed it down to her mother who passed it to her. She left it to me when she died, hoping I'd give it to someone as a token of my love. And here I am." he finished.

Elena's eyes were wide in awe.

"Damon, I can't take this", Elena persisted, but Damon just blinked as if she'd not said anything in protest.

"Yes you can" he said gently, standing up and walking towards her door, "Because I love you Elena. Even if you still can't figure out that you love me too, I love you. I'll wait 'til you feel the same. But for now, just know what you have my heart. Keep it" he shrugged, opening the door.

"Oh, and, Happy Valentines Day" he said, giving the most gentle, breathtakingly beautiful, heart-melting smile and then closed the door behind him.

It was silent after he left, and Elena just stared at the bracelet in her palms, a teardrop trickling down her cheek.

Her eyes welled up uncontrollably. Because the moment that had just passed summed up what she felt was missing. It fit into her like the perfect jigsaw puzzle.

She was missing that other part of her and that part wasn't Stefan nor did it belong to him. And in comparison to this time last year, today truly resembled to its name. Because now, in this moment in time, Elena - _for the first time in what felt like ages_ – wasn't confused anymore. Or scared. Or _weak_.

She was… _happy_ once again. And it was because of Damon. And the fact that she finally stopped denying her emotions. That she _did_ love him. She'd finally figured it out. And she wasn't afraid to feel it anymore. There was nothing to hold her back. _No one_ to hold her back. It was like she'd finally opened her eyes.

Brushing away her silent tears, she opened the clasp of her bracelet and put it on her hand. And the moment the February morning sun struck the crystals, a million and one reflections awakened the walls in her room. Elena gave out a light laugh, her tears still strolling down her cheeks.

Admiring the little crystals, her attention caught on the little engravement on the clasp. It read:

"_Forever yours_".

Elena's smile was now beaming as another round of tears enveloped from her eyes.

She didn't need persuading anymore, she didn't need reasoning or anyone to tell her how to feel, she knew how she felt and it was total and utter bliss. Throwing back her duvet, she began looking for something to wear.

It had taken her this long to figure out and fight off those other emotions to finally truly figure out where and who her heart lay with; she'd finally found the answer. Only now, she needed to say it to the person that really counted. And she couldn't wait. Couldn't wait to finally say those words back, to return them with sheer compassion. To shout it off the rooftops if she could.

Grabbing the keys off her desk, Elena ran out, the smile still not fading from her lips. She couldn't wait to see him.

Couldn't wait to see those mesmerising eyes, that beautiful smile and his gentle, soft touch. She longed for him like never before.

It would only be a matter of moments now, before she gave her heart away. After all, she was the keeper of _his_ heart.

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><p><em>Thank you for reading. This story will most likely be split into 2 with the final part published on V-Day :) But only if you comment and tell me what you think :P So please review, i'd lovee to hear from you all! :) Thanks again! :)<em>


	2. Forever Yours

_I just want to say a huge thank you to you readers out there that read, liked, favourited, reviewed & subscribed to this story - it means a lot! I can't describe the feeling at all, i'm just so thankful :)_

_I know I said I was going to split this story into 3 parts but I suffered from a cruel case of writer's block :( and managed to somehow stretch and exert all my creativity into one final chapter. And here it is. It took a while to write down eevrything I wanted to express and show but I finally managed it - and before V-Day too!(Biiig accomplishment lol) So I hope you enjoy it, leave a constructive review if you would? Thanks :)_

* * *

><p><strong>2. Forever Yours<strong>

She started the engine, a smile playing on her lips. She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to realize where her heart truly belonged. Of course, there would always be a part of her that would always love Stefan, that part would be there forever. But her love for Damon was much stronger. It was unbreakable.

As the sun hit her steering wheel, a million and one facets bounced off her bracelet from wrapped around her wrist onto the dashboard. It was a mesmerising sight to see, much like Damon's eyes. And it widened Elena's smile as she reflected on what each crystal meant, what each crystal symbolized for her. _For them_.

She was forever his, as the engravement on the clasp insisted. And soon, she'd pass that message onto him. It was only a matter of minutes.

She couldn't fully come to terms with what she was about to do. She'd finally admitted it, she _loved_ him. _She loved Damon_. And she was finally going to admit it to him. She wasn't scared of admitting it to herself anymore. She wasn't afraid. She was fearless. She was _stronger_. After all, it wasn't as if Stefan wanted anything to do with her anymore. He was long gone. Sadness enveloped her as just the thought of him provoked an image of him behind her lids. Only now, the loving, kind and honest Stefan was replaced with the blood-craving, gutless and heartless one. The one that had little care in the world for her. The one that would no longer jump in front of a bullet for her.

The last time they spoke, he told her he didn't love her. It was never going to be the same again. He hadn't called. He hadn't visited. Yet he was still roaming around with Klaus, appearing whenever Klaus made him. _You'd think Stefan was sired to Klaus, not Tyler._ Anyway, she'd finally given up on him, just like he'd wanted her to. He didn't love her anymore. He didn't want to see her anymore. He didn't want to _be_ with her anymore. That part of his life that contained Elena was done, as he said that night. _Well, he finally got his wish._

Her phone vibrated on the passenger's seat and hoping it was Damon – _for no known reason_ – she answered it gleefully.

"Elena?", it was Bonnie.

"Oh, hey" she answered, her happiness muted for a little bit.

"Where are you?" she asked, a little urgent.

"I'm actually driving; I'm on my way to the boarding house",

"Why?" Bonnie asked, a little confused. Elena hadn't been there in quite a while; she avoided it as Stefan always occupied the residence. And neither of them were on speaking terms since she told him she'd kissed Damon. She didn't understand his fury then, after all, she hadn't realised her feelings for Damon then. It was all a mistake back then. But now, her feelings were over empowering. And Stefan had realised. Elena sighed, knowing how Bonnie would respond.

"Elena-a-a" Bonnie complained lightly, knowing that she was probably about to do something she wouldn't approve of.

Elena laughed once, taking a deep breath, "I'm going to see Damo- whoah" she exclaimed, as she immediately swerved her car to the left of the freeway as a truck from the other side near missed.

"Elena, are you alright?" Bonnie asked, taking in her exclamation

"Yeah," she paused, looking back at the truck driving recklessly, "I'm fine; it was just a truck trying to drive into me",

"You sure?" Bonnie asked, a glimpse of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, he missed" Elena corrected.

"Okay." She paused for a little while, "So, you're going to see Damon?" she asked.

"Before you disapprove, just hear me out, okay", Elena interjected, knowing Bonnie would be against the entire idea.

After contemplating the idea, "Okay, I'm all ears" Bonnie confirmed.

"I just… I need to go do something" she finally said, hesitantly.

"Like?" Bonnie pressed.

"Let's just say… that I had a recent discovery." She replied, her smile extending.

"About?" Bonnie pressed further.

"Damon." she said after a moment. She hadn't revealed much but Bonnie knew Damon had this over-the-top protective stance over Elena, and that he'd happily risk his life for hers. He loved her.

It went silent for a moment, as Elena pressed her lips into a tight line. She could only imagine Bonnie trying to figure out what Elena was about to do.

After a minute Bonnie finally figured it out. "Oh. That." She replied, her tone a little discouraged.

"Wait, are you frowning? Bonnie Bennet, are you actually frowning on the other side of the line?" Elena laughed.

"No" Bonnie lied, "I'm not judging you, I just… I hope that you know what you're doing that's all".

"I do" she replied, "at least I think".

"Well thinking's good. It's a start" Bonnie replied, Elena just laughed.

Elena came to a halt on the freeway. Looking at the queues in front of her, she sighed. "Great" she muttered.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked.

"Traffic" Elena said, unimpressed.

Bonnie laughed, "Sucks to be you. I guess no one wants you to go see Damon".

Elena rolled her eyes, "Probably", she paused, looking for a gap in the queues. "Wait, isn't there like, some magic, spell witches can do for this?"

Bonnie scoffed on the other side of the phone, "For traffic? I wish" she laughed. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it; I gotta go see if Caroline's okay."

"Is she still not talking about her dad?" Elena asked, as sadness evoked her about the loss of her very own father. Mourning the loss of her father, Jenna, Stefan and everyone else that she had lost this past year, she realised she couldn't lose Damon too. That was why she was going to go see him. _Surprise_ him by declaring her love for him.

"No." Bonnie replied in a quiet tone.

Elena sighed, "Just stay with her okay, she needs us right now".

"Yeah" Bonnie replied, "Um, good luck doing _whatever-the-hell-you-intend-to-do_ with Damon" Bonnie joked. Elena just laughed in response, finishing the conversation. She tossed her phone onto the passenger's seat and sighed again, at the sore sight in front of her.

Looking around at the traffic around her, all she could do was wait impatiently. She turned the radio up and scanned the stations for something a little less cheesy. After all, it may be Valentines Day but Elena and Damon were far from the typical _'all loved up couple'_. She laughed at the thought.

She edged her car closer as the queues ahead slowly started to move. Still, she probably wouldn't see Damon soon. Just as she continued following the slow traffic and the clouds began to let a few droplets escape, she saw an exit coming up to her left. And once the opportunity rose, she took it. She sped out of the queue and roamed down the exit, glad she was actually moving. As she began to relax in her car on the empty freeway, her concentration revelled onto her wrist, at the beautiful, bedazzling bracelet again. The charms continued sparkling even though the sun begun to hide behind the clouds.

There, sitting in the drivers seat, driving down to the boarding house, everything seemed perfect for once in Elena's life. And once she'd told him what he'd been waiting to hear, her happiness would perk up a little more. She couldn't ask for anything more in the chaos her life suddenly lay in.

She lifted her eyes off the bracelet and concentrated back on the empty road before her, her lips reflecting her new-found happiness. She reached a junction and noticing that there was no traffic on either side, she sped through, her eyes glancing from side – to- side. And it was empty.

Until something hit her from the side, springing her onto the other side of the road, onto the dirtpath at the side of the road. She hadn't had time to comprehend what had happened as her car jolted upside down several times before coming to a sudden halt. The rain pattered as she lay, upside down, in the ruins of her car. Her chest thumped hard against the harness; if it wasn't for that, she'd be mounted on the dirtpath right now.

It took a few moments for her to open her eyes but when she did, she looked around frantically. It was quite dark and she didn't know how much time had passed. All she could see in front of her, a few metres away was a black SUV, its front totally destroyed and the car door opened in the middle of the highway. Whoever had crashed into her, had escaped. The rain hadn't eased either as she tried to move, but she couldn't. As she coughed and spluttered taking in her surroundings, she smelt something.

It was strong and quite distinct. It took her to squint at the blacktop in front of her to realise that she was sitting on petroleum. As soon as she came to know this, she panicked. Frantically, she tried to free herself, her eyes not moving from the oil spill before her that could set alight any moment now.

And it did. Right before her eyes, the blacktop in front of her ignited into hundreds of vivid flames. They flushed all around her, holding her hostage. She screamed out, drawing deep breaths as her cries began. But there was no answer, no noise. No sound. No car driving past. Just the emptiness of the raindrops. She coughed as the flames enveloped around her, circling around her as if she were bait. She found it hard to breathe and so gave up screaming for help. Her cries grew silent as the blood from her forehead dripped down her cheeks. No one would hear her now. Finally, as the pain subsided over Elena, she drifted out of consciousness. The last image that replayed behind her lids was Damon. And the fact that she wouldn't see him. That she'd probably die, lying here without him knowing how she truly felt about him. Her sadness consumed her as the flames around her grew fonder.

As she lay there in the confinement of her car, the destruction around her silently woke. The flames grew bigger, brighter. And in the wreckage of her car, in the midst of the remnants left of the dashboard, her phone rang repeatedly. Elena was far too gone to notice. As the icy droplets from the sky fell onto the phone, the screen alerted the caller. _Stefan_.

As the rain started falling heavier and the flames still not deceasing, it suddenly went quiet. Elena was still strapped in her car, unconscious. Her attacker in the other car was missing.

It was obvious someone had planned this. Possibly the attacker that had killed Caroline's dad and left Alaric for dead.

A figure appeared on the other side of the flames. It was Stefan. He was running in the forest when he heard the accident. And ran over immediately to check it out. Little did he know it was Elena.

"Elena. Elena", he called, trying to figure out whether or not it was her. And once he could comprehend the visual of Elena, he was instantly by her side.

"Elena, Elena, can you hear me? Elena?", his calls were now more desperate, as he scanned his eyes over what looked like the corpse of his ex-girlfriend. He had to get her out. Fighting his thirst, he put his hand on her neck, trying to find a pulse. And as soon as he did, her eyes sparked open, with little life in them.

"Damon…" was all that she managed to voice.

A glint of sadness appeared in Stefan's eyes but he blinked it away. "No, it's Stefan. Listen to me, I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" he began pulling at her seat, trying to ignore the fact that she called for Damon. Her eyes began drooping as the blood continued to drip down from her head. Her breaths were slower, paced apart. Stefan began to panic.

Within a split second, he tore the seatbelt that held her captive and gently lifted her off the remnants of her wrecked car. He jumped over the flames simultaneously, breathlessly running up towards a flat surface and gently pressing her onto the floor. Her eyes were closed. His eyes screamed desperacy, he didn't know what to do, how to react.

"Elena" he shook her, "Elena, can you hear me?", he placed one hand on her heart and the other on her neck, not caring that the blood falling from her head that should drive him into a frenzy. After a moment, he could hear it. It was faint, but it was there.

"Elena, listen to me, you're going to be okay, just stay with me", he looked around back at the chaos behind him as the light rain began to fall. He'd come back and clear it after. After he was sure that Elena was okay. _If_ she was going to be okay.

Gently, he enveloped his arms around her, so that she was cradled in his arms. He stood up and within an instant, ran.

-xXx-

Elena opened her eyes to her bedroom. Her forehead ached as her body lightly stinged from the flames she was revealed to. She blinked a couple of times to adjust.

"Hey", a voice spoke. It was Bonnie. She walked over, smiling politely and sat by her on her bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, softly.

Elena blinked herself fully awake and tried to sit up.

"Here, let me" she said, helping her sit up in bed, "you really should avoid moving, you had quite a hit."

"Wha-what happened?" she asked, dazed and disoriented.

"You were in a car accident. Something-someone hit you".

Elena didn't answer, trying to collect her thoughts together.

"Stefan found you" Bonnie continued, "and brought you back here". Elena didn't remember any of it. All she remembered was waking up in the car for a moment and seeing Stefan. And that was it.

"Who was it? Who did I hit?" Elena asked, finally coming to terms with what had happened.

Bonnie shrugged, her facial expression confused, "We don't know".

Elena's forehead scrunched up.

"When Stefan went back to the place, there was nothing there. Your car was gone, the other car was gone". Elena's face dropped. "It was as if it'd never happened." she finally said.

Elena couldn't fathom it. _Who could it have been?_

"We think it's whoever staked the medical examiner, Dr. David and then Alaric and Caroline's dad too". Bonnie's tone was matter-of-factly but Elena was far too shocked at the fact that Stefan ahd brought her here. That he'd rescued her. She was still processing the information.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked after a moment.

"Downstairs" she replied.

"And Damon?" she asked.

"I've not told him yet. We've not had the time. Do you want me to-"

"No" Elena nodded her head, "It's alright, I'll tell him la-ouch" Elena bowed her head in agony.

"What is it? Elena-what, are you alright?" Bonnie asked, edging towards her.

Elena lifted her head back up slowly, "Yeah, I just hit my head quite hard".

"Well, you'd better rest it".

There was a quiet knock on the door. They both looked back as Stefan walked in. His facial expression was sombre, indifferent.

"Hey" he said quietly, "How you feeling?" he asked Elena, he didn't smile or anything. His face was somewhat marbled.

"Okay" she replied quietly, shocked at the fact that he was still here.

"I'll leave you guys to it." Bonnie interjected, ducking out. She gave Elena a gentle smile as she walked out.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, not moving from the corner of her room.

She nodded. "How did you find me. How did you know where I was?" she asked, demanding answers straightaway.

"I was nearby" he replied, not looking at her. After all, the whole day seemed unreal. He'd not spoken to her in ages and not been this close to her for a while. And let's face it, they'd not had a civil conversation like this since he turned his humanity off.

Elena was past all the politeness. She just looked at him, trying to figure the day out.

"Why did you save me, Stefan?" she asked.

Instantly, Stefan's head jolted up.

"What?" he asked, scoffing. He couldn't believe what she was asking him.

Her eyes didn't fall off him.

"Why didn't you just leave me there?"

He met her eyes for the first time. They looked different, harder, stronger.

"What are you asking Elena?" he said in a quiet voice, his face hard.

She sat up in her bed firmly. Stefan just folded his arms on his chest, trying to adhere to what she was about to say.

She looked away from him, focusing on her palms that were a little bruised from the accident. Her fingers trailed over the charms Damon had given her as she tried to find out what she was trying to say.

"Nice bracelet." Stefan noted, breaking the silence. But there was malice in his words, in the tone of his voice. He knew who gave it her. After all, it was one a of a kind and the last time he'd seen it was on his mother.

Elena looked at him, not avoiding the subject.

"Damon gave it to me," she paused, waiting for a reaction off him. But there was none. "But then of course, you already knew that".

Stefan scoffed, dropping his hands.

"What, you don't approve?" Elena asked, her tone sour. She didn't enjoy being like this, being sour wasn't her. But she wasn't saying any of this to provoke Stefan, to make him feel again. She knew that'd be a long shot; he was past feeling. And she didn't say it out of bitterness. This was just the norm of how she'd behave in front of him. He turned her this way. She couldn't be her normal self with him anymore. They were past that.

"Doesn't really matter what I think these days does it, Elena." He shrugged, turning away from her towards the door. He didn't really mean anything by it. He just wanted to leave, he'd outstayed his welcome. He'd done his good deed and wanted out now.

"It did." she called out immediately, half jumping out of her bed. She stood up, she'd not said what she wanted to say yet. "Until you pushed me away." she continued. He just stood there, his back to her on the landing.

"So why? Why did you save me tonight if you don't care whether I live or die-"

"I do care." he claimed bitterly turning to face her. She took a step back in shock at the anger and rage plastered on his face. She'd forgotten how harsh he could be.

It took a moment for Elena to respond. She'd waited to hear this since, since forever.

"But it doesn't really matter does it." He whispered back, his static eyes not moving from hers. Elena didn't reply, she just stood there trying to take it all in. She was almost trembling from the realisation. Stefan turned around again, starting for the stairway.

"It wasn't over for me." She called behind him, "I waited... and waited Stefan. I waited for you."

"It wasn't over for me either" he replied, looking back over his shoulder.

She shook her head, looking at his stinging eyes, "Now it's too late" she continued.

His lips tightened into a bitter smile as he glanced down. Stefan now it was too late. This wasn't new for him. He knew it wouldn't be long 'til he pushed her away so far that she wouldn't fight for him. And he also knew it wouldn't be too long 'til his brother took his place. But the understanding still hurt. It was the one reason why he didn't want to care anymore.

"I know Elena. Don't you think I regret it? Regret not changing and coming back for you.", he turned around and edged toward her, "I don't wanna lose you Elena, I don't. And I'm not going to accept that it's over," he said drastically, walking towards her. And in a flash, he was in front of her, pushing her gently towards the wall, his lips touching hers without her consent. The kiss was powerful, unpredictable. He moved her into her room as his hungry lips wanted more. He'd forgotton what she'd tasted like. He'd forgotton her touch and how just the light feel of her lips sent down a million-and-one currents down his spine, igniting his veins and resurrecting his heart - his soul - back to life. With utmost power, Elena pushed him off.

"No Stefan," she said breathlessly, moving away from his clutches.

"You don't get to do that anymore", she said, parting from him.

And a glint of hurt held in Stefan's eyes. He let go of her immediately.

"You had me Stefan. I was there. I held on. But you broke what we had. You _pushed_ me away Stefan. You forced me to forget." she paused, looking at the ice emlt into his eyes again, "And, the sad thing is that" she paused again, swallowing the lump in her throat, "We can't go back. We can't go back to how we were".

"Why not?" he pleaded, walking towards her. She just stepped back, not answering him.

But he found the answer in her eyes.

And after a moment, he read out the answer desolately "My brother," he said quietly. He broke his stance from her, looking down and fighting a smile.

"You're in love with my brother." He said, _matter-of-factly_.

"Do you blame me?" she spat back, trying to find his eyes. "You left Stefan. You left without warning, without as much as a goodbye. And when you returned, you didn't want me. You didn't love me. You _hurt_ me-"

"And I'm so... sorry for that. I really am." He protested, edging for her hands. She just shook her head,

"You... left ... me," her voice broke mid-sentence, "you left me to pick up the pieces Stefan,"

"And just when I thought you couldn't do anything else, you hurt me." She paused, getting her breath back as her tears started flowing freely down her cheeks as did his. His eyes were soft, crumbling and his facial expression was relentlessly heartbreaking as he fought against his sobs. He wanted to shut it off. He didn't want to feel if this was what he'd feel. He wanted to _completely_ shut off his humanity again.

"And I'm sorry. I really am but there's no way of going back", she finally finished, walking past him, over to her window.

"So that's it?" he asked, his voice liek him, disjointed.

She couldn't find her voice to answer him. She saw his reflection on her window, he looked… sad. Her eyes stung at the aching sight of his teary eyes. As soon as their eyes met in the reflection, he got his answer. Before she could turn around, before she could breathea word, he'd disappeared.

Elena just stood there, frozen, clutching at her hand, at the clasp of her bracelet.

-xXx-

Elena stood face to face with Damon.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, his protective hands gently on her hers as he stood, inspecting her visible wounds.

She just nodded in response. He knew she wasn't. There was something off about her. She was hiding something.

He looked her in the eyes, trying to get whatever she was hiding, out. But there was no luck. Because Elena was torn. Her mind was fizzled. She didn't know what to do, where she stood. Damon's voice became silent babble as she readied herself for the heartbreak she was about to cause.

"Damon" she said sharply, grabbing his attention. His eyes were at her in an instant.

"What is it? Are you alright?" his eyes scanned her.

She dropped her eyes as her breathing altered. She was on the verge of crying. Because what she was about to say couldn't be said any other way. There was now ay to say it gently, with the guarantee of knowing that it wouldn't hurt. Because it _would_ hurt. And she was sick of hurting the people she loved, Damon being one of them.

Her fingers trailed around the bracelet again. And she knew then, how to break it to him. How to break it to the man that loved her tremendously, to the edge of the world and back.

"Elena," he whispered trying to capture her attention. But she couldn't look at him, she couldn't face him.

So with ice in her heart, she swallowed her pride and unlocked the clasp of the bracelet. Instantly, the bracelet fell into her hand.

Damon's eyes gathered at her hands as she slowly, trying to take it all in, took his hands and put the bracelet there.

"I'm so sorry Damon," she whispered, finally forcing her eyes onto him. She shook her head, a few tears letting loose on her cheeks, "I can't do this", her voice was barely a murmur.

He shook his head with hers, mystified as to what she meant. He clutched the bracelet as he did her hand to stop her from turning her back to him.

"Wait, Elena" she stood, not looking back at him. He just moved in front of her, pulling his face up to his. But her eyes and concentration were elsewhere. They were far from here. They belonged elsewhere, out of this house, outside near her car.

"What's wrong, what do you mean?" she forced her face away from his, trying to push past. She was beyond words.

"Hey, hey-", he tried to stop her as she tried to run.

"Damon, please" she cried as he gabbed her arm, "Please, don't make this any harder".

And it was then he'd realised. She'd come to say goodbye. She'd come to give him his heart back. She no longer wanted it. But he should've known that.

"No" he whispered to himself. Her chocolate eyes no longer searched for his. They no longer belonged to him. She wasn't his for keeps anymore. _No._

They belonged to him now. Him outside the house silently waiting. _His brother._

"I'm so sorry Damon," she murmured once more.

"Why?" was all he said soundlessly, trying to figure out what his brother had that he didn't. Everything he'd done until now was for her. He'd tried to keep her safe. To keep her sane. He'd never hurt her like he did and yet still, she loved _him_. He didn't understand. He couldn't begin to _try_ to understand it. All he knew was that he couldn't change it. He couldn't make her love him.

He read the words she couldn't speak in her eyes. This was their final goodbye.

And he stood there, trying to make sense of what Elena meant. Trying to accept it. But he couldn't.

"Elena, please", he tried again,

"No Damon." Her eyes continued their waterfalls as his couldn't comprehend.

"It's him isn't it" he finally said. Even though he knew the answer, he just had to hear it. Even though it'd kill him, he had to know. Elena stopped short. She drew abrupt breaths, trying to calm herself. "It's my brother" he finally whispered, declaringly, his eyes fierce.

"It was always Stefan" she finally said, meeting his eyes solemnly. And that was when Damon's entire world came crashing down, beyond repair.

As she turns away with tears streaming down he cheeks, he reaches out for her, for her hand, for one last touch. There was nothing more to say, nothing left unbroken. All was said and done. Yet, he still held onto the last sheer of hope that she might stay. He starts to edge forward for her.

But there's no use. Because his feet won't move. He _couldn't_ move. He could feel his tired heart beating in his chest, pumping blood from it as if it were a poppy bruise. His outstretched hand just froze in the emptiness as she took a step forward. Another one and he could feel the pain excavating its claws around what was left of his heart. One more and his hand starts shaking as the door creeps to a close behind her.

.

The bracelet drops to the floor, each crystal charm shattering into a million shards of tiny little facets, no longer echoing light, as does Damon on his knees; a broken man. One single tear drops from his wretched face as his world suddenly caves in.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading &amp; please don't hate at the fact that I chose Stelena at the end. : Though i'm a huge Delena shipper, I still have a soft spot for Stelena and what could be :/ _

_Anyway, leave a review :) Much appreciated :)_


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